5 Oct 2017 How to Find Agents that are the Right Fit for Your Tour or Activity Business

Creating partnerships with agents in order to form a distribution network and increase your bookings requires a commitment of both your time and resources. As a tour and activity operator who is trying to provide amazing experiences for all of your customers, you will likely have a limited supply of both. That’s why it’s critical that you find the right agents for your business, rather than wasting your time on agents who won’t bring in the bookings that you crave.

So, how can you find the right agents to partner with? Here’s a few tips that will surely help!

Identify OTAs that Attract Your Target Market Segment

OTAs are a powerful partner in any tour and activity distribution network, but you will want to select the right OTAs to partner with for your particular company. Most travelers who are doing research online and are interested in booking their own vacation packages will search OTAs for the latest information. However, not all travelers use the same OTAs. For example, if your tour and activity company is in a destination that is targeting the ever-growing Chinese travel market, then you will want to partner with popular Chinese OTAs such as CTrip.

Create Partnerships with Local Hotels

Guests who are staying at local hotels will often rely on the concierge for insight as to the best things to see and do in the area. When you partner with the local hotels, B&Bs and motels in your area, you will be able to generate bookings from these guests who may be interested in last-minute activities. By allowing concierges to resell your tours and activities in order to earn a commission, you boost their customer satisfaction ratings while also increasing the bookings for your own tours. This is also an ideal way to promote your destination as a whole, and to increase tourism business in your area.

Partner with the Travel Bureau in Your Community

The visitor information centre is a resource for all types of visitors in your region, from leisure travelers to out-of-town relatives and even business guests. By offering them access to your live availability, you can boost your last-minute bookings. It’s not uncommon for travelers to stop by the visitor information centre in order to learn more about what types of activities and excursions are available that day. This distribution partnership allows you to capture the attention of these motivated customers and increase the revenue that you generate per tour.

Developing your distribution strategy not only requires you to create beneficial partnerships with agents who are willing to resell your tours and activities, but its success also relies on the technology that you have available. You need an online booking system that utilizes a channel manager that broadcasts your live availability and instantly updates your reservations. To find out more information about Rezdy and how it can help you with your distribution plan, download our online distribution ebook today.